McClurg's Home Remodeling Blog

As we officially move into the winter months, the days are growing shorter and the long evenings of natural summer light have come to an end. As a result, the lighting in your home becomes even more important in order to prolong the winter nights and complete any evening tasks before heading to bed. The early nights will call attention to any of the areas in your home that may need some extra illumination. If you notice that your interior lighting seems inadequate, it may be time for an update. Below we’ve provided 5 tips on how you can make your home cozy and bright even as the winter darkness surrounds your home.

As spring is turning to summer, the days are getting longer in Central New York. This means more hours to enjoy the sunlight—a welcome sight after a long winter. There are plenty of ways to enjoy the sunshine outside, but what if you want to bring more of this natural light into your home so you can capture that summery feeling indoors?

Outdoor lighting is essential for any home. For safety and access it’s important to illuminate entries, driveways and walkways. Lighting is also very important if you have an outdoor area for that you enjoy using for entertaining such as a deck, patio, porch or pool.

If you are considering ways to illuminate the exterior of your home, here are some awesome ideas from projects we’ve worked on recently for Central New York homeowners:

If you’ve stopped by the hardware store recently looking to replace a light bulb, you’ve probably discovered that the store no longer carries the standard incandescent light bulbs that are so familiar to all of us. Instead, you’ve likely encountered a wide array of new light bulb products, some of which don’t look anything like our old bulbs.

Functional and decorative lighting in a kitchen is important if you are planning a remodeling project. Designing a lighting plan for a kitchen considers five layers of light: natural light, general lighting, task lighting, ambient lighting and accent lighting. The light fixtures selected for a kitchen can add an aesthetic element to the room. Therefore, the design plan should also take into account the décor preferences of homeowners and address “decorative kitchen lighting” when determining fixtures that will be used.

If you visited this year’s Parade of Homes at Riverwalk in Brewerton, you saw some of the latest design ideas for Central New York homes. We encourage people who are planning a home remodeling project to visit the “Parade” to see products installed and gather ideas for their own projects.

Two important functional issues to address in any bathroom update or remodeling project are proper ventilation and lighting. Many bathrooms are small spaces susceptible to mold due to the humidity caused by using showers and tubs in a confined area. Fans help to control this problem.

When I first meet with homeowners I listen to their ideas and aspirations regarding how they want to use their living space. We develop the best plan to meet their needs within their budget for the project.